Sat 1 Dec 18: Uxbridge 0 Ashford 5

The Tangerines got the month off to a good start on Saturday winning 5-0 at Uxbridge in a strong performance against a side that had won their previous three games.

It was a day where almost everything went right, including the early ruling out of what would have been the opening goal of the match for Uxbridge, when an assistant ruled that the ball had not crossed the line, when even Ashford supporters were of the view that it had done so. You have to take your luck in football of course and from Ashford’s point of view it made up to an extent for the “goal” they scored last week against Marlow, dubiously ruled out.

Indeed, Ashford took full advantage yesterday, scoring the opening goal on 24 minutes and it was central defender Adam Baigent who headed home, finishing off a corner routine, involving Mark Bitmead taking a short one to Alex Fisher who returned it to Bitmead with a clever reverse pass and the resulting cross was firmly met by Baigent, giving ex-Ashford keeper Paul McCarthy no chance.

Ten minutes later Ashford doubled the lead. This time it was a good movement down the right flank with the ball breaking for Kofi Lockhart-Adams to strike it crisply into the net. Uxbridge were stunned but despite their determined efforts to get back into it, it was 3-0 before the interval when Jack Beadle got into the act, his strong cross shot again giving McCarthy no chance.

On what was a superb surface, given all the pre-match rain one anticipated that Uxbridge would come out all guns blazing for the second half but to show that it was without doubt, Ashford’s day, they added a fourth goal within three minutes of the re-start. This time it was Mark Bitmead who finished off a superb Tommy Brunton cross and it was just reward for Ashford’s leading scorer who worked his socks off all afternoon.

Tyler Tobin, restored to the side in goal, showed no reaction to the injury that had kept him out since the end of August. He did not have too much to do but as would be expected Uxbridge never gave up and he had to deal with one particularly ferocious effort which he pushed aside for a corner. Nothing came of it and it was Bitmead who had the last word with something of an individual effort to make it 0-5.

Once again there is no midweek match for the Tangerines who are on the road again next Saturday away to South Park, who you may remember knocked us out of the Surrey Senior Cup last season on penalties after we had initially gone two up in the game only to be pegged back. If the rain keeps up, it is a reasonable bet that the match will be off as their pitch does not drain as well as some others so fingers crossed for a dry week.

At the moment Southall, who had the misfortune to exit the FA Vase yesterday in extra time at Canterbury, are scheduled to be at home to Sutton Common Rovers on Tuesday but the latter’s FA Vase match was postponed yesterday and they may be playing that on Tuesday instead. We will confirm as soon as we know.

Ashford would like to extend their condolences to the family of Ken Huckle, late President of the Combined Counties League, who died last week after a brave fight against cancer

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